1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system managing information indicating how predetermined information has been used, in particular, to a method and a system managing information indicating how help information has been used.
There are data processing apparatus and communications terminal apparatus which have a well-known help function. The help function will now be described. For example, if a user of a relevant apparatus having the help function wishes to know how to use the apparatus, the user may input a predetermined help-information supply request: For example, the user may manipulate a specific help key provided on the apparatus. The help key may be either an actual key as a part of hardware or a virtual key realized by a software program. In response to the key manipulation, the apparatus automatically selects a set of help information, from among previously stored sets of help information, appropriate for a current internal state of the apparatus. The apparatus then displays the thus-selected set of help information indicating how to use the apparatus.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2186417 discloses a help information control method and apparatus managing help data in a manner in which help data is relevant to execution states of application programs.
By using the help function, the user can obtain information for manipulating the apparatus and thus appropriately use even complicated functions of the apparatus. For this purpose, the apparatus previously stores therein the sets of help information so that a set of help information, appropriate for a current internal state of the apparatus, may be selected from among the sets of help information in response to the help-information supply request being input.
Further, the help function may supply help information while the apparatus is displaying previously stored operation guidance information of the apparatus. The operation guidance information is automatically displayed on a screen of the apparatus as a temporary screen and indicates how to manipulate the apparatus, for example, how to press a certain operation key, while a predetermined data processing operation is being performed.
In such a case, the help information explains contents of an item of the operation guidance information currently being displayed. For this purpose, the apparatus previously stores therein the sets of help information so that a set of help information, appropriate for an item of the operation guidance information currently being displayed, may be selected from among the sets of help information in response to the help-information supply request being input.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus having the help function stores a plurality of sets of help information appropriate for a single internal state of the apparatus. Thereby, the user may obtain various information, for manipulating the apparatus, relevant to the current internal state of the apparatus which may include a particular item of help information which the user actually wishes to obtain. In response to the help-information supply request being input, the apparatus displays the plurality of sets of help information one by one according to a predetermined display order.
The predetermined display order is ordinarily determined by a designer of the apparatus during a stage in which the apparatus is being designed. The predetermined display order may not be one precisely appropriate for an actual user's demand. Thus, the user may wait, for long time, for a particular item of help information which the user actually wishes to obtain while the plurality of sets of help information are being displayed one by one according to the predetermined display order. Thus, the help function may not always be convenient for the user.
Instead of supplying the plurality of sets of help information one by one in the predetermined display order, a brief list of the plurality of sets of help information may be first displayed. Then, the user may select a set therefrom. In such a case, an excessive time may be required for the user to locate a relevant set of help information, due to causes that, for example, the list includes too many items and/or a description of each item in the list is too broad to understand contents thereof easily. Further, the plurality of sets of help information may include ones which are not actually necessary for users.
Further, there is a case where the help function supplies help information explaining contents of an item of previously stored operation guidance information currently being displayed as mentioned above. In this case, the previously stored operation guidance information is ordinarily produced by a designer of the apparatus during a stage in which the apparatus is being designed. However, it is difficult for the designer to produce the operation guidance information precisely appropriate for an actual user's demand. Therefore, the thus-produced operation guidance information may not be one precisely appropriate for the actual user's demand. As a result, the user may not sufficiently understand the operation guidance information and thus may frequently require a display of help information further explaining the operation guidance information.